GreatNews.Life Student Voices: Summer in progress in Hammond
- By: Jori Lawson
- Last Updated: July 29, 2025
What’s recently happened?
On July 12, the annual Roadie Run, a five kilometer (three mile) running event, kicked off. The Roadie Run is held every year before the Festival of the Lakes at the Wolf Lake Pavilion. The run includes something for all ages, including a one mile event for children and as well as an option to participate in a 5k walk. Runners that signed up before June 30 received a shirt to run in for the event.
The Hammond Sportsplex brought back its basketball open gym program. July 9 marked the first official day of “Pop up at the Plex,” a program in collaboration with the Hammond Police Department.
“It’s a chance for kids to play basketball during the summer while school is out,” said Josette Perkins, general office manager at the Hammond Sportsplex. “We have officers who are helping the kids out and just playing pick up games.”
The program allows children ages 5-15 to come and play basketball every Wednesday at the Hammond Sportsplex from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for $5.
“There were too many issues with open gym, so we had to discontinue it,” said Perkins. “This is one way to bring back basketball in a more controlled environment.”
“Pop up at the Plex” is set to last until August 6. As of now, the program has shown much success and once the last session is finished, the Sportsplex will decide if the program will make a return in the future.
What’s coming up?
The Whiting, Hammond, Highland and Munster After Midnight Ride (WHAM) is returning for its 14th annual run. Every year during the summer, community members from each of these four cities participate in a bike ride that begins at midnight. This year, the event starts at midnight August 2 and transitions into August 3.
The event is jointly hosted by Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. and the Hammond Port Authority. Cyclists are able to choose between two options: a 10 mile or a 30 mile scenic route that goes through some of the many bike paths throughout each participating city.
As students begin to get ready for the coming school year, many back-to-school giveaways and orientations are underway. Hammond Central High School is hosting a Back-to-School Registration Celebration on July 31. This celebration is a chance for students to collect school supplies, register for the 2025-2026 school year, meet teachers and connect with members of the school district.
The Mayor’s Night Out with the 4th district of Hammond takes place on August 27. Every month, Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. meets with a district in the City of Hammond with the goal of meeting with each district once the year finishes. The Mayor’s Night Out serves as a way for the community to hear the agenda for the city and for individuals within the community to give feedback or ask questions that they may not get to ask otherwise.
Community member spotlight:
Jazmin Perez is a senior this year at Hammond Central High School and an attendant of the Hammond Area Career Center (ACC). Leading into her last year of high school, Perez spent the summer hanging out with friends, going to the beach, and attending soccer and throwing conditioning. Some of her hobbies include making bouquets, binge watching her favorite TV shows, and occasionally reading a good book.
Going into senior year, Perez hopes to try new things and to participate in more school events.
“It’s going to be an eventful senior year,” Perez said. “I plan on trying out new stuff because it is my last year of high school.”
After graduation Perez plans to go to college for a bachelor’s in nursing. She always suspected she wanted to work with kids, but once she entered the certified nursing assistant (CNA) program at the ACC, she learned that working with children is definitely what she wants to do. Her goal is to become either a pediatric nurse or a mother-baby nurse. At the moment, she’s in the process of choosing between Purdue University Northwest and Valparaiso University.
“I always knew I wanted to work with kids, but once I started high school, I realized I wanted to be a nurse,” Perez said. “Last year, I decided to go to the ACC and take the CNA program.”
Perez looks forward to her future, in both excitement and a little bit of fear of growing up, regardless she plans to embrace the changes as they come.